Guide for portable power tools



March 3, 1953 s. E. VAN TUYL GUIDE FOR PORTABLE POWER TOOLS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Sept. 15, 1949 March 3, 1953 s, VAN TUYL 2,630,146

GUIDE FOR PORTABLE POWER TOOLS Filed Sept. 15, 1949 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 a lHllnv Hjflzfi ,F' 43 '22 I I2 I a I jg. 7 o J7 Hu '26 I 36 45 347 48 42 f 4 9 0 o 72 i l W" 29 9 22' H 4/ \/4 INV TOR:

dad 72g Waraijg BY/% ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES t E'N'T OFFICE GUIDE FOEEQBTABLE POWER TOOLS Sidneyi'E. Van Tuyl, St.'Lucie, Fla.-

Applicaticn September 15, 1949,S erial Noi1'15,797

6 Claims; 1 (01. 143 -6) 1 Z This invention relates" to guides for portable power" tools and more specifically to a guide for a portable electric saw to enable rapid and ac" curate work to be'performcd."

Guides for port-able power tools suchas elec= trio saws havaheretoiore beenproposed but have generaliy been relatively complicated and expensive to build, cumbersome and awkward to transportyset up anduse; or insuificiently fiex-' ible-to enable different typesof work to be "done effectively." A desirable guide should be simple andinexpensiveto construct, should be small" and light for easy transportationfshould be easy to set up without requiring special tables or bases and-should be'easy to use in performing" various types of "operations. It is one of the objects of thepresent inventionto provide a guide having allof these deSirabIecharacteristics. I

Another object is to provide aguidein which theframasupportingthe tool for normal cross cutting operations is pivoted on ahorizontal axis to be raised and lowered toward and away from the work." This enables thework pieces to be inser d and removed easily and insures proper hoiwlgthereor during operation;

another object is to pro'vi'de'a guide in which thctool-supporting frame'is mountedfor' necte i across the frameancl is formed at one end'for pivotal mounting to a bracket connected to one end of the tool.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention willbe more readily apparent when read in connection Withtheaccompanyinc: drawings, in which- Figure "1 is a perspective View showing elements of the invention in disconnected position;

at upior a crosscutting operation;

is a perspective view showing the" a similar view showing'the-guide set Figure 5 atop planview of theclamp and Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical. section withi parts broken away showingthe' guide set-up for cross cutting; and

Figure? is an enlargedscction showing the guide set upfor ripping.-

The guide of the present invention comprises a clamp I it formed of channelshaiaedmetal strips having a bolt ll threaded in 'oneflangethereof for gripping the edge of a tableJTh' opposite flange carries an upright cylindrical post l2 for supporting the frame of the guide." Theclamp it is adapted to engage the edge of anysuitable 'supportingtablewith the post I2 projecting verticallyabove the table. Accord ing to the present invention nospecial type of table is required, and a satisfactory table may be formed of planks laid a'crosssaw horses or other supports.

13 and it lying in parallel relation with a stripit between them projecting above their upper surfaces to form a guide for the work. The" clamp ii) may be securely clamped to the" edge of one of theplanks, as shown; I

The post 52 slidably and rotatably receives a split collar 16 which is formed with a pair ofoutwardly extending flanges it to receive a tension fastening such as a threaded rod 18 to draw the collar tightly together aroundthe post, thereby to hold, it in a desired adjusted position. The

collar is preferably provided at itsupper edge with a series of calibrations 85, as best seen in Figure 5, which cooperate with a vertical r'eference line on the post :2 to indicate the angular For this purpose the adjustment of theframe. edge of the plank to which the clamp to is se cured becomes a reference line, and the frame can be set at any desired angle with respect thereto through the calibrations IS forangular cuts. The collar can also be adjusted vertically on the post to accommodate workpieces of different thicknesses so that the" frame will extend hori zontally in contact with the top of the workpiece.

The collar supports ail-elongated guide frame formed of a pair or flanged strips 22 which are preferably-'1. beams connected at their outer ends by a short cross strip 23 welded 'or otherwise permanentlysecured thereto. .At their op-' posite ends the strips ztzare connectedby a plate 24 having upwardly extendingfiflanges 25 at its sides through which the frame is pivotally connected to the collarx xvAs:bestiseen inFigure 5,

As shown; for example, in the drawings, the table comprises a pair of planks the flanges register with horizontally extending pieces 26 on the collar and are pivotally con nected thereto by screws 21. In this way the frame can swing vertically toward and away from the table so that when it is raised the workpieces, as indicated at Ed in Figure 2, can easily be inserted or removed. When the frame is swung downward, it will rest on the work pieces and will hold them in place against the guide strip 55 for accurate cutting without requiring the operator to hold the work pieces by hand. Also due to elevation of the pivots 2'! above the plane of the frame, the plate 24 will engage the collar it as seen in Figure 6 to limit downward movement of the frame during ripping or when it is desired to support the frame above the work.

The frame is adapted to receive and guide a conventional power saw unit having a generally rectangular base 29 on which a motor 3i is pivotally supported for swinging about axes at right angles to each other. The motor unit carries a handle 32 through which the tool may be manipulated and in the form shown drives a transversely extending shaft for carrying a circular saw blade ihe unit, as shown, is representative of any one of several standard portable power tools with which the guide of the invention may be utilized.

The beams 22 are positioned, as shown in Figure 2, with their side flanges extending upwardly and being guided for sliding movement by the vertical side flanges. This is the normal position of the tool for cross cutting or analogous operations. as shown in Figures 2, 4, and 6.

To use the tool for operations of this type, the work may bepositioned against the guide strip i5, and the frame may be swung downward against the work to hold it in place. The depth of cut desired is regulated by swinging the motor unit and saw vertically about a pivot at the forward end of the frame, the unit being held in adiusted position by engagement of a wing nut 3% with an arcuately slotted strip 35 on the frame. With the motor running the operator may simply grasp the handle 32 and slide the tool along the beams 22 across the work to perform a cut thereon. When it is desired to cut the work at an angle the frame may be turned about the post I 2 to the desired degree, as shown in Figure 4, and. the operation may be carried out in exactly the same way. With the set up illustrated in Fi ure 4, the saw is tilted about an axis longitudinal to its direction of travel through its pivotal mounting on the frame 28 and is held inadiusted position by a wing nut 35 engaging an arcuatelv slotted strip 31 on the saw frame. Through these adiustments of the saw, the work piece may be cut at any desired angle to its length and the operation can be carried out rapidly and accurately.

seen in Figure 7. At its opposite end he p at carries a clamping means shown as an angular rod or strip 4! extending through the plate and threaded to receive a wing nut 42 above the plate. When the plate is assembled on the frame, the clamping strip 4| engages beneath the horizontal flange on one of the beams to secure the plate in position and to hold it against tilting or shifting.

A bracket 43 is secured to one end of the saw frame and is provided at its opposite ends with flanges 44 to register with the flanges 39. The flanges 44 and 39 may be pivotally connected on a horizontal axis by any desired type of pivot pin so that the entire tool unit can swing vertically relative to the plate 38. Downward swinging movement of the tool unit is limited by an adjustable tension link 45 extending through a vertical lug 46 on the plate 38 and having a wing nut 4i threaded thereon. At its opposite end the link 45 is bent over as best seen in Figure 1 to hook through an opening in the upper end of an arm 48 on the bracket 43. With this construction the tool can swing upward about its pivotal connection to the supporting plate 38 but its downward movement is limited.

For a ripping operation the tool is mounted, as described, and the desired depth of out is set by adjusting the position of the motor and saw unit on its frame 29 through the adjustment 34-35, as described above. The wing nut 41 is adjusted so that the frame 29 of the tool unit will rest on the upper surfaceof a work-piece to be ripped, as indicated at 49 in Figures 3 and 7. With the tool set up as described, the work piece may be placed against the guide strip 15 and fed past the tool so that it will be cut, as desired. It will be noted that in this set up the frame 29 of the tool rests on the work piece to hold it down and to prevent any tendency of the tool to kick the work piece back. This enables a ripping or analogous operation to be performed very effectively and simply with a minimum liability of injury to the operator.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the guide unit of the present invention is relatively simple and light in weight so that it can be mam ufactured inexpensively and transported easily. It can further be set up very simply without requiring any special tables or bases and can be used easily and safely to perform a wide variety of operations.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail herein, it will be understood that this is illustrative only and is not to be taken as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A guide for a portable power operated tool comprising a clamp formed to engagea table and to project above the top thereof, an elongated frame formed of L beams connected at' 2. A guidefor a portable power operated tool comprising a clamp formed to engage a table, a cylindrical post on the clamp to project vertically above the table, a collar fitting slidably I and rotatably on the post, an elongated guide frame, means pivoting the guide frame at one end on the collar on a horizontal axis, lying above the plane of the guide frame, a cross member at said one end of the guide frame engageable with the collar to limit downward swinging of the frame, and guide means on the frame to guide a power operated tool for sliding movement longitudinally of the frame.

3. A. guide for a portable power operated tool comprising a clamp formed to engage a table, a cylindrical post on the clamp to project vertically above the table, a collar fitting slidably and rotatably on the post, an elongated rectangular guide frame, flanges at one end of the guide frame projecting above the guide frame and lying on opposite sides of the collar, pivots connecting the upper ends of the flanges to opposite sides of the collar on a horizontal axis, and a cross member on said one end of the frame to engage the collar below said axis and limit downward movement of the frame.

4. A guide for a portable power operated tool comprising a clamp formed to engage a table and to project above the top thereof, an elongated frame connected to the upper part of the clamp to project horizontally therefrom above the top of the table, a supporting plate fitting slidably in the frame for adjustment therealong and extending across the frame and laterally of and beyond one side of the frame at one end, clamp means on the plate to secure it to the frame, means at said one end of the plate beyond the adjacent side of the frame for pivotal ccnnection on a horizontal axis parallel to the frame to one end of a power tool projecting laterally beyond the frame, and an adjustable connection between the plate and the power tool to limit relative pivoting thereof.

5. A guide for a portable power operated tool comprising a clamp formed to engage a table and to project above the top thereof, an elongated frame connected to the upper part of the clamp to project horizontally therefrom above the top of the table, a supporting plate fitting slidably in the frame for adjustment therealong and extending across the frame and laterally of and beyond one side of the frame at one end, clamp means on the plate to secure it to the frame, a bracket pivoted to said one end of the plate beyond the frame on a horizontal axis parallel to the frame, the bracket being secured to a power tool so that the axis lies transversely at one end of the power tool, and an adjustable connection between the plate and bracket to limit pivotal movement therebetween in one direction.

6. A guide for a portable power operated tool comprising a clamp formed to engage a table and to project above the top thereof, an elongated frame connected to the upper part of the clamp to project horizontally therefrom above the top of the table, a supporting plate fitting slidably in the frame for adjustment therealong and formed for connection to the frame to extend across the frame and laterally of and beyond one side of the frame at one end and means at said one end of the plate beyond the adjacent side of the frame for pivotal connection on a horizontal axis parallel to the frame to one end of a power tool projecting laterally beyond the frame, the power tool thereby being supported for vertical pivotal movement to work on a work piece moved under and transversely to the frame.

SIDNEY E. VAN TUYL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date l,457,492 Bloodgood June 5, 1923 1,540,388 Crowe June 2, 1925 1,756,121 Hedgpeth Apr. 29, 19 0 1,832,283 Earhart Nov. 17, 1931 2,5025% Coleman Apr. 4:, 1950 2,513,497 Laughlin July 4, 1950 2,527,754 McDermett Oct. 31, 1950 2,556,137 Emmons June 5, 1951 

